Reorienting a maloca in the city: adaptations of traditional Amazonian architecture in the urban context

CAPIUL's maloca in Leticia has been interpreted as a "disoriented" architecture for various reasons. However, this article argues that this deviation constitutes a reorientation, the result of a spatial and political negotiation within the urban context. The maloca becomes disoriented...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: De Los Rios, Jorge
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:Ecuador
Institución:Revista CHASQUI
Repositorio:Revista CHASQUI
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.www.ciespal.org:article/5281
Acceso en línea:https://revistachasqui.org/index.php/chasqui/article/view/5281
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Reorientation
Maloca
Indigenous architecture
Traditional architecture
Urban Amazon
Reorientación
Arquitectura indígena
Arquitectura tradicional
Amazonía urbana
Reorientação
Arquitetura indígena
Arquitetura tradicional
Amazônia urbana
Descripción
Sumario:CAPIUL's maloca in Leticia has been interpreted as a "disoriented" architecture for various reasons. However, this article argues that this deviation constitutes a reorientation, the result of a spatial and political negotiation within the urban context. The maloca becomes disoriented with respect to traditional astronomical references, but reorients itself with respect to new criteria for its relationship with the city: territorial visibility, accessibility, representative uses, cultural continuity, and defense of the territory. In this tension—between two paradigms of dwelling—the maloca does not lose its meaning, but rather adapts and updates its orientation to continue inhabiting the city without abandoning its traditional foundations. Thus, CAPIUL's maloca embodies an architecture that transforms urbanism and is transformed by it.